Our wine aromas are grouped by aromatic family (fruity, floral, vegetal, animal and toasty).

They are also categorised by their origin and the stage in the winemaking process at which they appear. Primary aromas are distinguished from secondary and tertiary aromas.

The primary aromas, known as varietal aromas, originate in the grape and depend on the grape variety and the terroir. They include nuances of fruit (e.g. blackcurrant, cherry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, apple, apricot, peach, lemon) and flowers (e.g. violet). They are the expression of viticulture.

Secondary aromas are created during alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. They depend on maceration times, fermentation temperatures and the yeast strains used. They are the result of oenology. Examples include honey and rose.

Tertiary aromas appear as the wine matures and ages in the bottle. They are the result of the work of the winemaker. They include pepper, liquorice, leather, vanilla and tobacco.

So a wine’s aromas can tell us about its grape variety or varieties, its terroir, the way it was vinified and matured, and its age.

Wherever possible, our aromas are of natural origin.

Each aroma in Le Nez du Vin, Le Nez du Café and Le Nez du Whisky is a composition made from natural or synthetic products (approximately 50/50).

Why do we use synthetic products for our flavourings?

For cost and concern for the environment. For example, if an extract of the natural product does not exist on the market and can only be manufactured at high prices. It would be extremely expensive to obtain a saffron extract: just 1 kilo of saffron extract would cost hundreds of thousands of euros!

To guarantee consistent aroma quality. Fruit extraction techniques tend to degrade the product and bring out notes that are not always pleasant. For example, natural banana extract can smell bad, while natural strawberry and apricot aromas lack stability.

Did you know?

Synthetic raw materials are now the basis of perfumery. The first perfume to use these new products was Chanel’s famous N°5, created in 1925, which included an aldehyde. The olfactory qualities of synthetic raw materials obtained through petroleum chemistry are today entirely comparable to those of natural raw materials.

We use various solvents to dilute our aromas. Ethanol (or ethyl alcohol, or simply alcohol) is a very good solvent for some of them. Alcohol is used in cosmetic products such as perfumes and deodorants. In the case of wine, the presence of ethanol makes it possible to ‘fix’ more molecules. A wine without alcohol does not have the same smell as one that contains it.

Some natural products are only soluble in alcohol. This is the case, for example, with the cut hay absolute (pure essence). We are constantly striving to reduce the proportion of ethanol in our preparations. For example, our Master Kit 54 aromas contain only 3 cl.

No: The 12 aromas in the Wine Faults kit and the 12 aromas in the Oak Cask kit are complementary to the Master Kit. They delve deeper into specific subjects and contain unique aromas.

However, the Duo 24 aromas (combining Red Wine 12 aromas and White Wine 12 aromas) are included in the Master Kit 54 aromas.

No: Éditions Jean Lenoir publishes specialist works on the olfactory heritage of wine, coffee and whisky. They are not simple products, but multilayered kits with informative books that are designed to be experienced through a range of sensory perceptions: reading, touching, smelling.

For this reason, the vials are inseparable from the books that accompany them, and vice versa. The texts help to make the link between the aromas in the collection and the wine, coffee or spirit it emanates from.

No: There is no kit that contains only the additional 30 aromas in the Master Kit 54 aromas. From the outset, Éditions Jean Lenoir has chosen not to sell the vials of aromas individually or separately from the kit, as the accompanying books help to make the link between the aromas in the collection and the wine. The book in the Master Kit 54 aromas describes the 30 additional aromatic notes and includes a great deal of information that is not in the Duo booklets.

However, a valuable complement to the Duo would be the Oak Cask kit, which focuses on woody notes in wine and contains different aromas than the Duo 24 aromas kit (and a few in common). The same is true of the Wine Faults kit.

Do you own an aroma kit, but don’t know how to use it? Visit our user’s guide page, where you will find advice on how to practise regularly, on your own or with others, either with our vials or in a tasting context.

The game is a companion to the Master Kit: it requires the full collection of aromas in order to be able to play. It is an entertaining way to learn, adding another layer to the experience.